Camera



May 2, 1944. A. BRIECHLE T A1.

CAMERA 2 m @Wd h l w w@ www ,6MM BY original Filed March 22, 1958 May 2, 1944. A. BRlEcHLl-z x-:T AL

CAMERA Original Filed March 22, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A lllmw Ill May 2, 1944.. A. BRIECHLE ET AL 2,347,732

CAMERA Original Filed March 22, 1938 3 Sheets-Shea?l 5 Ws w. m.

ATTORNEY,

sa? O Patented May 2, 1944 UNITED STAT-Es PATENT carlos CAMERA. Ambrosius Briechle, Brooklyn, Roy T. Hurley, 4Dobbs, Ferry, and, George E. Merritt, Staten Island, N. Y., assignors to 'Bendix Aviation Corporation, South Bend, Ind., a corporation of Delaware @riginal application March 22, 1938, Serial No. 197,402, now Patent No. 2,283,788, 'dated May 19, 19442.V Divided and-,this application November 22, 1940, SerialNo. 366,680-4 6 claims. (ci. 21412-41) This invention relates to camera apparatus, and more particularly to nlm 'containing' and controlling mechanism for such apparatus.l

This wapplication is a division of 'our parent copending application Serial No. 197,402,r iile'd March 22, 1938, for Bombing camera, which issued as Patent No. 2,283,783 on May 19, 1942.

An object of the present invention is to provide a camera with novel nlm containing means whereby the nlm may be readily located and ree tained in a predetermined position.

Another Objectis to provide novel apparatus for accurately metering the film, for example, oi an aerial camera.

Alfurther object is to provide a camera having al lm magazine and a cover, with novel lm roll retaining means adapted to facilitate iilm loading and metering.

Still. another objectristo provide a lm magazine with novel meansadapted to render the magazine liehtriisht when removed from the camera.

Further objects are toprovilea novelcamera wherein the operating means are housed in` two detachable sections and novel` means.r whereby said sectionscan be locked to, each other.

A still further object is to provide novel metering means in the magazine andcover of a., camera, said means being adapted to facilitate the film threading and film roll adjustment.

Stili another object is to provide novel locking means for nxing a cover to the nlm magazine, which means automatically hold the cover against release when the latter is properly positioned on the magazine.

A further object is to provide novel means for actuating vthe nlm metering and lm holding mechanism.

The above and further objects and novel features of the invention will more fully appear from the following description when the same is taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. Itis to be expressely understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to denne the limits of the invention, reference being prmarily had for this latter purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation, with parts broken away and partly in section, of one embodiment of the present invention, showing a'cone, a magazineand a cover in normal operative positions;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of a part of the nlm roll drivev taken substantially on `line 2--2 of Figk.

Fig. 3 is a detail top plan View of the magazine with the cover removed;

Fig. 4 is a'rear elevation of the magazine with they cone andcover removed 'and with parts broken away to show thedetails of the counter structure;

' Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig.` 3 with the cone and cover in operating position and showing the fluid conduit connection from the cone to the magazine;

Fig. Sis a sectional View taken substantially on line 6--6 of Fig. 3 with the cone and cover inoperating position;

Fig. 7 is a similar view taken on line 'l-l of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 3-8 of Fig. 3 and showing a means for" locking the pressure plate against accidental or inadvertent movement after removal of the cone;

Fig. 9 is a sectional View taken substantially on line 9-9 of Fig. 7.

In the illustrated` embodiment, the camera of the present invention is' shownA as Yhaving two major sections, i. e., a magazine 23A in which the lmis housed, suitably "positioned, and metered for exposure, and a; cone 24 in which the driving and control mechanisms, the shutter and the lenses are mounted, said mechanisms, shutter and lenses beingA Ifully shown and 'described in the abovementioned',;parent application. A cover 25 is DFOVidd fQI thg'lreegezieservns t0 .keensad magazine dust and light-proof andto cooperate with` partsV the magazine andperform other useful functionato appear later. Itwillb'e noted that thesectionihousing the lm and thesection housing tlllellf are, by. the present construe# tion,` adjacent' 'each other permitting means, hereinafter more fully described, t0 be utilized which may ijixY the, film plane, independently of the accuracywitlj which thecone is mounted. on

Said magazine.

Magazine and cover by means to be hereinafter more fully described,

and then rewound upon roll 3|. Rolls 38 and 3| due to said springs is only sucient to prevent said roll from falling out of said magazine when the same is inverted with cover removed, as, for example, when the film is being threaded into position. A structure which is the duplicate of the above-described means for holding roll in operative position is also provided for holding roll 3| and comprises coil springs 53 and 54, arms 55 and 56 pivotal about a shaft 51 and rolls 58 and 59 mounted upon a shaft 68. Other resilient means, in the form of a leaf spring 68a, are also provided in cover 25 being suitably secured thereare alike and of the standard type construction well-known to the art, having two end pieces of,`

circular shape in the form of discs and a central cylinder of a lesser diameter than saidend pieces upon which the lm is wound.

Heretofore, lm rolls for aerial cameras have been fixed for rotation in the magazines of said cameras by trunnions located at the centers of rotation. However, in the present device, in order to facilitate camera loading, this method of central support has been eliminated and novel means are provided whereby the film rolls are positioned for rotation about xed longitudinal axes by merely inserting the rolls into the magazine chamber in the general direction of the nal p0- sition which said rolls will assume. The novel means consist of a three-point support for each of the lm roll end pieces, two ofsaid supports in each instance servng'to determine the lm roll position and the third applying the pressure to fix the end pieces of the rolls in position for rotation with the supports.

As shown in Figs. 3l and 7, the supports determining the position of roll 33 are mounted on two shafts 32 and 33 which are journalled for rotation in walls 21 and 28 and which extend longitudinally therebetween. Mounted on the ends of the shaft 32 adjacent the internal faces of the walls 21 and 28, respectively, are supporting rolls 34 and 35 on whichthe end pieces of lm roll 38 are adapted to rotate.Y Similarly mounted for the same purpose on shaft 33 are rolls 36 and 31 and a similar construction comprising shafts 38 and 39 and supporting rolls 40, 4|, 42 and 43 is provided for mounting film roll 3 i.

Placing the end pieces of each film roll on the 'supports hereinbefore described determines the longitudinal axes of rotation for the film rolls. However, to x the lm roll end pieces so that they will remain in contact, and rotate with the supporting rolls, a third support adaptedto be r'esiliently held against the en d piece is provided. Rolls 44 and 45 (Figs. 3 and 7), secured to a 'shaft 46 for rotation therewith, function to hold film roll 38 as the third supports therefor, and are resiliently urged by means of a pair of arms 41 and 48 into engagement with the end pieces of said nlm roll. Arms 41 and 48 support shaft 45 and are pivotally'mounted on a second shaft :49 which, in turn, is journalled in suitable bearings in an upper central portion 50 of the magazine casting. Portion 50 may be cast integrally 'with the main casting of the magazine or may be suitably a'xed to said casting between walls 21 and 28. In order to resiliently urge rolls 44 and 45 into engagement with the endJpieces, a pair 'of light coil springs 5| and 52 are'wound about shaft 49. Each of said springs has one end thereof bearing upon'one of the arms'41 or 48 and the other end thereof bearing upon portion 58 and each tends to expand and urge the arm with which it cooperates into engagementrwith f film roll 38. rihe force exerted upon said roll to` to have the spring ends bear against the central portions of shafts 46 and 68 and thereby yieldingly urge the supporting rolls mounted on said shafts into engagement with the lm rolls.

After inserting lm rolls 38 and 3| into the magazine by merely raising shafts 60 and 4S (the cover being removed), and dropping said film rolls in position, the loading of the camera is effected by threading the lm 6| (shown by a broken line in Fig. 7), from roll 38, over an idler roll 62, fixed to shaft 32 (Fig. 9), then under a pressure plate E3, and thence over a metering drum 64 to lm roll 3|, said metering drum being secured to and rotatable with shaft 3S. The film is xed to roll 3| by any suitable method, as, for example, by insertion of the end of the lm into a slot arranged therefor in the cylinder of said roll.

After the film has been loaded into the magazine in the manner above described, cover 25 is placed thereon. The walls 21 and 28 (Fig. 6) have flanges 65 and 66, respectively, extending the length of the upper edges thereof and said flanges are adapted to t into grooves 6l' and B8, respectively, provided therefor in cover 25 and to thereby form a light trap keeping light from entering chamber 25. Similar light traps between the lower edge of said cover and magazine casting 26, comprising flanges 69 and 10 (Fig. '1) in said magazine and grooves 1| and 12 in said cover, complete the means whereby chamber 29 is kept light-proof. To keep the magazine interior dust-proof, an additional groove 1 a is provided in main casting 26 along the edge thereof completely circumscribing the magazine interior and having a strip or washer 12a of some yielding substance such as rubber or felt xed therein. The bottom of the cover when the latter is correctly positioned on the magazine fits over said strip and compresses the same, thereby producing `a dust-proof joint or connection between said cover and cone..

Novel means are providedfor locking cover 25 to magazine 23 by merely placing said cover over said magazine and then exerting a slight downward pressure thereon. After the cover has been thus fixed in position, release of said locking means can only be effected by rotation of a thumb screw 'i3 (Figs. 1 and 3) thus insuring against accidental or inadvertent removal of the cover during operation of the camera. As shown, said locking means comprises a shaft 14 mounted for rotation in'bearings 15 and 15 located in walls 21 and 28, respectively, and in upwardly extending lugs 11 and 18 (Figs. 6 and '1) cast integrally with or rigidly fixed to portion 58 of the magazine casting. Shaft 14 has a part thereof projecting outside of wall 21 and has thumb screw 13 mounted on this projecting portion. A slot or opening 19 is provided in cover 25 in order thatthumb screw 13 may extend through said slotV and be operable from the exterior of said cover.

A pair of worms 8f] and 8|, preferably integral with shaft 14, are rotated thereby and are adaptedto engage and rotate worm gears S2 and 83,

respectively. Gear 32 is suitably secured to or integral `with avertical shaft'84 and the lower end of ,the latter extends through portion 50 and .of shaft 8i. may be made to engage the split nut without being screwed into said nut by having the latter forced down upon it, thereby prying apart the segments of said nut against the constricting force of coil spring 89 and permitting said threaded portion to be grasped by said nut. Thumb screw 13 may be rotated thereafter to further increase the threaded engagement between nut 81 and portion 86, threading the latter into the former through the worm and gear 80, 32. A split nut means similar to that described above is provided for cooperating with worm and gear ill, 83, so that rotation of shaft 14 by thumb screw 13 also controls t-he locking and releasing of .said unit. Both units are unlocked for removal of the cover by rotation of shaft 14, said shaft operating the worm and gear drives of the threaded shafts and causing rotation of said threaded shafts in a direction to unscrew the` same from the split nuts.

In order to expose a new frame of film after each photograph is taken, metering drum E54 is rotated. through a predetermined angular distance after each exposure and novel means are provided for maintaining the film in contact with said drum during rotation thereof so that the film may be accurately metered thereby. The novel means comprise a pressure roll (Fig. 7) suitably mounted on a shaft 9| which is journalled at each end in a bracket `02, pivotally mounted by means of a pin SiS on the inner wall of cover 25. Resilient means, such as a leaf spring 94, are secured to said bracket, and when the cover is locked to the magazine, said resilient means urge pressure roll .fr0 against metering drum 64 pressing hlm into frictional engagement with said By mounting the pressure roll on the cover, the necessity for threading the film between rolls during loading is eliminated and the process of loading is accomplished more readily and more quickly than heretofore in cameras which had the pressure roll and the meteringr roll mounted inthe magazine in fixed relation to each other.

Movement of the film by means of metering drum 64 rotates idler roll G2 and unwinds the film from film roll Se, causing the latter to rotate in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 7. In order to frictionally resist the free rotation of said film roll and keep the film under a slight tension so as to minimize the possibility of wrinkling, means, such as a friction disc 95 (Fig. 9), are provided in the magazine for applying a frictional force which tends to retard the rotation of lm roll 30. A hollow boss 30 is cast integrally with wall 21 of the magazine and friction disc 95 is mounted on a rod 91 which extends through said bossand has a collar 98 secured to the outer i `end thereof. Y Disc 5. is held in -frictional engage-` k v bearings ment with the end piece of roll 3Q by the expan- .Sve force of coil spring S9 interposed between said disc and the Vbottom of said boss and surrounding -rod S1 within said boss. Apin |00, mounted in wall `2i and extendinginto an opening IBI in disc S5, holds said disc against rotary movement. A similar disc (not shown) is prefer- .;fbly provided in wall 23 directly opposite disc 95 for` the other end piece of film roll 30. As a result, a pull must be exerted upon the film which is .sufiicient to overcome the resistance of the fric- Htion discs.

The latter, in addition to keeping the film taut, serve to center the film roll between the walls 21 and 28, this being one reason why a pair of discs is provided.

The film after passing from metering drum 64 is wound on roll 3|, the latter being frictionally driven by supporting rolls ill and 4| (Figs. 2 and 3) en which the end pieces of said film roll rest. The end pieces are adapted to slip on said supporting rolls while being driven thereby because the speed at which said supporting rolls tendto Ydrive the iilmis in excess of the speed at which said film roll must rotate to take up all the lm passing from the metering drum. As a result, the nlm is kept taut between said drum and said `film roll while being wound upon the latter.

Means, located in the cone 24 and fully described in the aforementioned parent application, are provided for driving the mechanism which imparts rotary motion to the metering drum 64 for moving the film and to the two supporting rolls 4d vand 4l for driving film roll 3|. Said mechanism comprises an upper member of a jaw coupling |92 (Figs, i and 8) integral with or suitably fixed to a hollow shaft |03, said shaft being,r journalled for rotation in a set of ball bearings itil. A bevel gear |05 secured to the upper end kof shaft L03 meshes with a bevel gear |06 affixed to a shaft |01 and is adapted to drive the latter which is journalled for rotation in suitable mounted in a pair of downwardly extendingarms ist, iii@ of a bracket H0. The latter is secured by screws iii to the outside face of wall21 of the magazine casting.

` To -actuate supporting rolls 40 and 6|, a shaft M2 is ,drivably connected to shaft |01 by means of a pair of engaging helical gears ||3 and ||4, the former being fixed to shaft |01 and the latter to the end of shaft |i2. The latter extends through and is journalled for rotation in walls 21 and 28 and has secured thereto a pair of spur gears H5 and H6 (Fig. 3), gear ||5 (Fig. 2) being mounted adjacent the outside face of wall 21 and meshing with spur gear I1. The latter is keyed to the hub of supporting roll 40, which bears on ybut rotates freely of shaft 3Q, and drives said roll,

kauniform `forceacrcss the width of the film during the winding thereof.

Metering `drum dit is rotated by a worm ||9 (Figs. l and 8) fixed to shaft |01 and a worm wheel |,2 fixed to shaft 39, the latter shaft having said drum secured thereto for rotation there- "with, ,The worm drive rotates drum 64 at a slower speed than the helical drive through which supporting rolls 40 and lil are driven, producing the .,tensionin the portion of film between said meter- .ing roll andthe film roll.

In order ,to provide exact and clear, photographs, a high degree of accuracy in fixing the surface i2 i.

film plane, so that it coincides with the focal plane, is necessary. Novel means, mounted in 24, are provided for locating the film plane, said means comprising pressure plate 63 (Fig. 7i and ,an accurately finished, plane surface |2| which rfixes the position of the film and the pressure plate plane with relation to the lenses. Surface |2| which is a part of the cone casting is accurately finished in a plane and the lenses are subsequently adjusted to have the focal plane thereof coincide with said plane. Pressure plate 63 is preferably a metal casting, substantially rectangular in shape, having its lower face finished and grcoved and being of sufficient size to cover an opening |22 in the upper end of the cone casting. The film is urged into contact with the base of said pressure plate by means to be described hereafter, land the sensitive side of said film isz exposed in the direction of opening |22 so that a photographic impression may be made thereon when the shutter is released. Surface |2| is the top surface of a flange |23 integral with the upper .end of the cone casting, said flange defining opening |22.

Normally, pressure plate 63 is yieldingly urged into contact with finished surface |2| of the cone casting by means comprising a pair of vertical arms or rods |24 and |25 (Fig. 6), mounted in recesses provided therefor in said pressure plate and held in said recesses by pins |26 and |21, respectively. A pair of inwardly extending lugs |28 and |29 cast integrally with wall 21 are provided having openings suitably bored therein in which rod |24 is slidably mounted and which L guide said rod in any vertical movement thereof.

A collar |36 is fixed to rod |24 between lugs |28 kand |29 and a compressed coil spring l|3| is mounted between said collar and upper lug |28,

i surrounding said rod and exerting an expansive I force upon collar |30 which tends to move plate 33 in a downward direction into contact with cone A similar structure to that above described, comprising lugs |32 and |33, coil spring |34 and collar |35, is provided in combination with rod |25 and exerts a downward force, augmenting the force of spring |3| upon the pressure plate. Rods |24 and |25 are loosely mounted in the openings provided therefor in the guiding lugs, an appreciable clearance existing between said openings and said rods in order that the v base plane of the pressure plate may be aligned photograph has been taken, the force normally exerted upon the film by pressure plate .63 must A be overcome s that metering roll 64 may move the film. Accordingly, means are provided whereby pressure plate 33 is raised against the force of springs |3| and |33, relieving the pressure upon the film land permitting free movement thereof, said means, as shown, comprising a pair of arms or levers |33 and i3? which extend into slots |33 and |39, respectively- Slot |38 is adjacent to rod |24, being suitably positioned in the pressure plate casting to have pin |23 extend therethrough and to have said pin engaged by the pronged end of arm |33 (Fig. 7). Arm |311 simi- -the magazine and adapted to cooperate with cone larly engages pin |2'| and is, together with 'ari |33, secured to a shaft |40 for rotation therewith. Shaft |43 is journalled `in walls 21 and 28 and has la portion thereof extending outside of wall 21,

'Y to which a lever |4| is aixed (Figs. 1, 3, 6 and 8). Lever |f|| is adapted to rotate shaft |46 by transmitting thereto the reciprocal motion of a rod |42 (Fig. 8) so that whenever rod |42 is raised, lever Ivii rotates in a counter-clockwise direction and likewise moves arms |36 and |31, thereby lifting pressure plate 63 sufficiently to clear the path of the film travel.

Rod |42 which reciprocates and actuates the above described mechanism for raising pressure plate 63 is mounted concentrically with shaft |63 in the hollowed center thereof. The reciprocal movement may be imparted to said rod by suitable cam means, such as are shown and fully described in said aforementioned parent application, said means being suitably timed to move rod |32 in an upward direction raising pressure plate 63 once after each exposure and keeping said pressure plate in a raised position during the interval in which the exposed frame of lm is displaced by an unexposed frame. When said unexposed film frame has been suitably positioned between said pressure plate and surface |2| of the cone, the former is lowered into engagement with the latter and frictionally holds the film in the focal plane.

In order to eliminate any wrinkles or creases existent in the film after the same has been moved by metering roll G4 into position under pressure plate 63, novel means are provided whereby the film is urged by fluid pressure, against the base plane of said pressure plate, and is thereby smoothed out before being lowered into the fixed plane of cone surface |2|. As a further precaution against wrinkling and creasing, and also to definitely fix the film in the focal plane, the same novel means are used a second time and urge the lm into contact with the pressure plate when the shutter mechanism releases the shutter curtain to expose the film.

The novel uid pressure means comprise a series of longitudinal and lateral channels or grooves |43 machined or cast in the base plane of pressure plate 33 in such a manner that when a plane surface of any nature is brought into contact with the base plane of said pressure plate, said grooves constitute a ground of fluid conduits each of which is connected to every other. An annular flange |44 (Figs. 6 and 7) preferably located at the center of pressure plate 63, is cast integrally with the upper surface of said pressure plate and has a cap or cover plate |45 secured thereto by means such as screws |43. Cap |45 is preferably formed with a raised central portion |31 and together with flange it constitutes a fluid chamber |43 which is connected by a number of openings or passages |49 to grooves |43. A fiexible conduit |56 is suitably positioned to communicate with chamber |48 and, as shown, is

y threadedly secured at one end to upper portion |41 of cap |45 and at the other end to a part of the magazine casting (Fig. 5). A passage |5| in said casting is adapted to connect flexible conduit |53 to a second flexible conduit |52 when the cone and magazine are operatively assembled. A suitable washer |5|a is interposed between conduit |52 and the end of a tube |5|b which forms the lower portion of passage |5|. The suction passage is broken at the washer when the magazine is removed from the cone.

Suitable means. such as are shown and fully 2, 347,732 l described in the aforesaid parent application, may

be provided in cone 24` for controlling the fluid pressure in exible conduit |52 and, when the cone and magazine are assembled, said means through passage and conduit |55 are operatively connected to fiuidchamber |48 and, therefore, adapted to regulate the pressure therein. By decreasing the pressure in said chamber to subatmospherio pressure, a suction is created in grooves |43 whereby the ilm, even though loosely stretched across the base of pressure plate 53, is forced into contact with said base. In this manner, the film is xed in the plane of the base of said pressure plate and when the latter is in lowered position and supported by finished surface 2| said base plane in which the film is fixed is coincident with the focal plane. Said pressure means also operate to x the nlm in the V focal plane immediately prior to the release of the shutter mechanism. It will be understood that the above described results may be produced by utilizing suitable pressure means to create a pressure above atmospheric in the camera. cone and by opening grooves `|133 to the atmospheric pressure in the magazine, thereby producing a pressure differential tending to force the film into contact with the pressure plate.

In order to indicate the number of exposures made upon the film, a: counter (Figs. 3, 4 and 6) is provided in the magazine and is adapted to register each exposure by the movement of calibrated drum |54 past stationary index mark |55, said drumand mark being visible through a window |55 (Fig. 6) conveniently positioned in the cover. A casing |5`|v surrounds drum. |55 exposing only the portion visible through window |58 and, as shown, is attached to wall 23 by a screw |58. A ratchet wheel |59 (Figs. 3 and 4;) is integral with or suitably fixed to drum |55 and is provided with fa hub member |55, the unit being rotatably mounted on a shaft it! xed between casing |51 and 4magazine wall 28. A coil spring |62, having one end thereof secured to a flange |53 on hub member |56 and the other end fixed to wall r28, normally opposes rotary movement of ratchet wheel |59 and always tends to return drum |54, after rotation of the same, to zero position.

Since the pressure plate and, therefore, rods f |24 and `|25 are raised once for every exposure,

every upward movement ofsaid rod |25 is utilized in the present invention to motivate the means for rotating ratchet wheel |59 and drum |515 to indicate another exposure. Said means comprise a lever |54l (Fig. 4) having a bifurcated .end

which fits into a slot |55 provided therefor in arm |25, and which engages a pin |55 fixed to said arm and-.extending through said slot. The other .end-of. lever 54 is secured to a shaft i5? which is journalled in and extends through wall 28 and which has a second lever |552 fastened thereto-on the other Yside .of said wall.I Levers 5d and L63 and shaft |57 rotate a unit therefore, when arm |25 moves upward, lever on the `opposite side of the fulcrum moves downward. A pawl |55, pivotally mounted on the end .of lever |58 and resiliently urged by a spring in the `direction of Iratchet wheel 5,5, engages said wheel when said lever is moved downward and rotates the former a predetermined number .of notches, thereby `rotating drum i5@ a single graduation past index mark |55. When lever is `moved Yupward, moving pavvl |59 therewith, a pin `Il. ,.xedrto wall 28 `and,extending perpendic'.-

ularly therefrom, is adapted to engage pawl |69 and cause the same to disengage from ratchet wheel |59.

Novel means, rendered operable by pressing cover 25 into locked position with magazine 23, are provided for holding ratchet wheel |59 against rotation by spring |52, in a direction to return indicating drum |54 to a zero reading. Said means comprise a cantilever spring |12 xed to casing |57 and having a curved end extending downwardly in the direction of ratchet wheel |59, said end being adapted to hold said wheel, as viewed in Fig. 4, against rotation in a counter-clockwise direction, when moved into engagement therewith. A member |`|3 slidably mounted in casing |51 is supported by spring |12 and when cover 25 is removed extends beyond the upper surface of said casing. However, when said cover is replaced, a part thereof, in the form of lug |75 (Fig. 6) bears against and moves mem- -ber |73 downward, thereby moving spring H2 into engagement with ratchet wheel i555. As a result, whenever cover 25 is removed from magazine 23, indicating drum E is returned to zero position by the action of spring |52, so that indicating drum |55 usually registers the number of exposures made from the time the cover has been positioned on the magazine.

After a film roll has been fully exposed or perhaps during exposure thereof, an occasion for removal of the magazine from the cone may arise. A novel safety latch is provided in combination with pressure plate actuating lever Ml for holding the pressure plate in lowered position against the magazine casting, thereby preventing admittance of light into the magazine. The novel latch comprises a lever 335 (Figs. l and 8) pivotally mounted intermediate the ends thereof to lever |4| in a substantially vertical position. The upper end of lever 355 is resiliently urged, by a spring 335 xed between said end and lever liti, to move in a clockwise direction. The lower end of lever 335 extends through an opening 337 in the magazine base and is provided with a pair of notches or openings 358 and 335, the former being positioned above the latter, and being adapted to engage a plate 555 suitably afxed to the base of the magazine and projecting beyond opening 33?. With the cone removed, pressure plate @5 is in lowered position and spring urges lever 335 in a direction to have plate 35i@ engage'notch 338 and hold the pressure plate in the lowered position against any accidental or inadvertent raising thereof. When the cone is xed to the magazine, a lug 313i shown in .broken lines in Fig. 8 engages the lower end .of lever 335 and moves said lever and the notches therein away from plate 3171), and out or engagement with said plate, thereby leaving actuating lever |64! unaffected during the cyclic operations.Y

It is often desirable, as, for example, when threading the lrn from roll 39 to roll 3i, to have pressure plate 63 held in raised position, and for this purpose, notch 333 is provided in lever 335. After removal of the magazine, lever 335 may be manually operated and raised so that notch 33S, instead of notch 335, engages plate 355, thereby holding actuating lever |d| andpressure plate 53 in raised position.

vCone 2d comprises a central casting W5 substantially square in horizontal cross-section. A casing |75, afxed to said casting and surrounding the same, encloses suitable .driving and control mechanisms, which are mounted on said casting and fully disclosed in the aforesaid parent application. Locking means are provided for securing magazine 23 to said cone and, as shown in Fig. l, said locking means comprise a shaft |11 mounted for rotation in casting |15 and adapted to be rotated by a thumb screw |18 mounted on and secured to said shaft intermediate the bearings therefor and readily accessible from the outside of casing |16. Rotation of shaft |11 by thumb screw |18 causes axial movement of members |19 into which'ends |80 of said shaft are threaded, said members being slidably mounted in casting and constrained to axial movement by pins Il fixed therein and radially extending therefrom, into longitudinal grooves |82 in saidcasting. The longitudinal displacement of members |19 caused by rotation of thumb screw |18 moves said members into or out of openings |83 provided therefor in magazine 23 and locks or unlocks cone 24 into or from operative position upon said magazine. In the embodiment illustrated, as shown in Fig. 6, a second lock, of like construction to the above, is provided in the cone, and engages the opposite side of magazine 23.

There is thus provided a camera apparatus having novel means for mounting, metering and exposing the film. The metering means are cooperable in a novel manner with the cover of the film magazine, being mounted in part in said cover in order to facilitate lm threading and loading and to insure an accurate metering of the nlm during operation of the camera. Film rolls are carried in the magazine by novel means comprising a plurality of three point supports, and the lm metering means are associated in a novel manner with said lm rolls and the actuating mechanism. A plurality of novel safety devices are also provided in the magazine and cover to cooperate with the lm metering, holding and actuating mechanisms, said devices including light traps and automatic and semi-automatic locking means.

Although only a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be expressly understood that the same is not limited thereto. For example, it will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that the novel three point nlm roll supports are not restricted to utility in an aerial camera but can be used in other film holding and metering apparatus. Various changesmay be made in the design and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For a definition of the invention, reference will be had Drimarily to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a camera having a magazine and a casing detachably secured to said magazine, a pair of lm rolls with disc-like end pieces, a threepoint support for each of said rolls, each of said three-point supports including three rotatable members engaging the periphery of the iilm roll end pieces, a pivotable arm carrying one of said members, and spring means engaging said arm to keep the member carried thereby in frictional engagement with said end pieces, resilient means carried by said casing, said resilient means engaging the pivotally mounted member of each of said three-point supports to augment the action of said spring means, and spring pressed means frictionally engaging the side walls of each of the iilm roll endlpieces to locate each of said rolls longitudinally.

2. Ina camera magazine having a cover secured thereto and a pressure plate mounted therein, a iilm supply roll, a lm receiving roll, said rolls being disposed above said pressure plate, an idler roll for guiding the lm'from said supply roll under said pressure plate, said idler roll being located adjacent one edge of said plate, a metering drum adjacent the opposite edge of said plate for directing the lm to the receiving roll whereby the path of travel of said iilm is substantially reversed, means carried by said cover for resiliently urging said lm into greater frictional engagement with said metering drum, said last-named means engaging a portion of theV film normally in contact with said drum, drive means, means positively connecting said drive means to said metering drum, and means frictionally connecting said drive means to said receiving roll.

3. In a camera magazine having a cover secured thereto and a pressure plate mounted therein, a lm supply roll, a lm receiving roll, said rolls being disposed above said pressure plate, an idler roll for guiding the lm from said supply roll under said pressure plate, said idler roll being located adjacent one edge of said plate, a metering roll adjacent the opposite edge of said plate for directing the lm to the receiving roll whereby the path of travel of said lm is substantially reversed, means pivotably mounted on said cover for resiliently urging said film into greater frictional engagement with said metering drum, said last-named means engaging a portion of the lm normally in contact with said drum, and driving means connected to said receiving roll and to said metering drum.

Il. In a camera magazine having a cover secured thereto and a pressure plate operatively mounted therein, a iilm supply roll, a film receiving roll, said rolls being disposed above said pressure plate,

an idler roll for guiding the film from said supply roll to said pressure plate, said idler roll being located adjacent one edge of said plate, a metering drum adjacent the opposite edge of said plate for directing the lm to the receiving roll whereby the path of travel of said film is substantially reversed, mechanism adapted to augment the frictional engagement between said metering drum and the lm, said mechanism being pivotally mounted on said cover and being resiliently urged in the direction of a portion of said meterling means normally in contact with the lm,

driving means operatively connected to said metering drum, a member frictionally engaging said receiving roll to drivably connect the latten to said driving means, and resilient'means carried by said cover for pressing said receiving roll into engagement with said member.

5. In a camera having a magazine and a cover detachably secured to said magazine, a lm roll with disc-like end pieces, a three-point support for said roll comprising three rotatable members engaging the periphery of the lm roll end pieces, a pivotable arm carrying one of said members and spring means in said magazine for engaging said arm to urge the member carried thereby into frictional engagement with the end pieces, and resilient means carried by said cover, said resilient means engaging the pivotably mounted member of the support and augmenting the action of said springmeans when said cover is secured to said magazine.

6. In a camera having a magazine and a cover detachably secured to said magazine, a nlm roll with disc-like end pieces, a three-point support for said roll comprising three rotatable members engaging the periphery of the lm roll end pieces, a pvotable arm carrying one of said members, spring means in said magazine for engaging said arm to press the member carried thereby into frictional engagement with the end pieces, resilient means carried by said cover, said resilient means engaging the pivotably mounted member of the support'l and augmenting the action of said spring means, and drive means for said roll connected to one of said members.

AMBROSIU'S BRIECHLE. GEORGE E. MERRITT. ROY T. HURLEY. 

